In this world, Magic is Everything. All people, all races, are granted with the power to perform mystical and magical feats via grimories, mystical tomes granted to each and every child on their 15th birthday. Those blessed by the mana can have their names written down in legend.
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Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Jun 5, 2020 23:08:32 GMT -5
Name: Expert Archaeology [INT]
Description: Vones has managed to create a large party of select explorers, archaeologists and magic knights to go find the ancient ruins of a serpentine swamp temple. There’s about 20 of you altogether and as the group proceeds through the jungle, you have to help ward off waves of attacks until you reach the temple.
Minimum Number of Players: 1
Minimum Word Count: 2500
Location: Forsaken Region
NPC Information:
Enemies: Forsaken Treants x 6 per Magic Knight
Giant Black Mamba x 4 per Magic Knight
The Forsaken Treants are large loud undead trees that have been possessed by some sort of evil magic and turned into mana beast. They move slowly, at 5 m/s and have intermediate health. They deal intermediate damage with a swipe of their dry branches. These creatures are extremely sensitive to heat, lava or fire magic and attacks with those elements deal double damage to them. They’re also indiscernible from regular trees unless the mage has 15 sensory or higher until they attack.
The Giant Black Mambas are fast, moving t 15 m/s; they have senior rank health and tend to drop from the top of the tree branches onto the party of adventurers, attempting to bite and/or swallow the party members. They deal senior rank poisonous damage that causes a movement hex if they manage succeed in such an attack and then try to swallow the bit target whole.
Special Conditions: All damage taken in this mission by the Magic Knights and the party of adventurers will remain going into the next mission. There is a very short rest between the end of this mission and the next in the chain, but not enough for health or mana skin to recover.
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Jun 6, 2020 0:44:43 GMT -5
A few days had passed since the tryouts on the Da Inn at the Royal Capital happened. Charles managed to enter the expedition with the help of the Captain of the Golden Dawn, Zaven Blake. They both made into the expedition crew through an unpredictable method, it didn't matter, at the end of the day they both made it into the expedition crew and that's what mattered. He hasn't forgotten that he had to carry the drunk Captain back to his base. He was lucky that the Golden Dawn Headquarters were located at the Royal Capital. Nonetheless, he still appreciated the company from Zaven. He seemed like a nice and respectful person, even though he was a noble. He had some respect for him.
Throughout those days, Charles had learned new spells. More powerful and useful spells that will certainly help him on the expedition. It was likely they were going to encounter beasts and other types of monsters on their way to the temple. Even someone like Charles knew this. He had to be prepared otherwise he will end up being more of a liability or end up dying before even completing the expedition.
The young Magic Knight made his way to the meetup point mentioned a few days ago where they met at the Royal Capital. Even though the Black Bulls Headquarters were located at the Forsaken Region there was still some traveling to do. So he decided to go there flying with his brand new spell. The silver owl flew all the way to the location of the meeting. Traveling all the way there through flying made it easier for Charles and it was more comfortable than using a broom. As the silver owl had the capacity of supporting 2 other people in it so it had plenty of space. The owl began to descend having arrived at the destination. As the owl descended he was able to see a group of people at the entrance of a forest. Magic Knights, Researchers, and the well-known archaeologist Ilhiana Vones who was leading the crew were all at the meeting point, but there was someone missing. Charles couldn't see Zaven anywhere, it appeared he wasn't there yet, but that didn't bother him. He knew that flying all the way to Forsaken Region to the Royal Capital takes quite some time. He knew that from experience the Captain was going to arrive eventually.
The owl safely landed a few meters away from the group. Charles getting off the moment he landed, he managed to gather the attention of the group. Some of them approached him including Ilhiana. "Hello Charles! Glad to have you here. Do you know when Captain Zaven will be here?"
He looked at Ilhiana upon getting off the owl. "...Captain Zaven? He should be here soon, I think. I told him the time, date, and place the last time we saw each other. The Royal Capital is far away from him so I'll give him some time." Charles spoke in his usual monotonous way. He was interested in what they will find at the temple, but he knew it was likely for them to fight beasts on their way there. Which was a pain in the ass for Charles, he just hoped they were lucky and don't fight a lot. He knew for a fact that they weren't going to get started without Zaven. He was a Captain and probably the strongest person in the entire crew.
"We should wait for him then. Let's hope he doesn't take too long." Ilhiana walked back towards the rest of the group telling motioning Charles to come along with her and wait for the arrival of the Captain. The Black Bull nodded and followed Ilhiana meeting up with the rest of the crew and preparing themselves to make their way to the temple.
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] The day of the expedition, captain Zaven Blake of the Golden Dawn has been selected, albeit through a rather dumb and expensive tactic to become apart of a crew headed by the beautiful adventurer Ilhiana. To be honest she was more of a rival than a boss, and also they have shared a drink or two conversing over their finds and journeys. Today was the start of a grand venture and he was accompanying the young Black Bull, Charles. [break][break]
The captain was already staying in a guest room of an old Blake manor that was no longer being used. He hunted for his meals and bathed under a waterfall before he dressed and grabbed his rucksack so that he could make his way to the rendezvous site so they could board the vessel being used for transport. He sped off, letting his shadow armor become active for a time, increasing his mobility as he sped off towards the meeting spot. It did not take him long of course, and once he was within sight of the vessel and the crew hanging around outside he deactivated the armor before pulling his Golden Dawn mantle over his left shoulder as he walked towards the crew. ”Look alive gents...not everyday we get to explore the Forsaken Region, though I assume you lot are already used to traveling with Ilianna...getting into stuff that may or may not be better left for the professionals and such. Me and the Black Bull boy will be apart of the security detail here so please do not get into our way, and we will make sure we don’t get in yours...easy right? Good, now let’s get this show on the road, after I take this rucksack and mantle off in my room I will be ready for anything. Good, now let’s get moving. Iliana! Your favorite has arrived.” Zaven announced himself with a grin
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Aug 13, 2020 23:37:04 GMT -5
As Charles met up with the group his attention shifted to the familiar voice of Zaven. It was one he wasn't going to dismiss. He was the Captain of the Golden Dawn, after all. Surprisingly enough the Black Bull had prepared himself and was going to be working alongside Zaven to make sure the expedition went smoothly. Honestly, he will prefer not to do it, but it was better than doing nothing. At least the place they were going to seemed somewhat interesting to him. He had to get a job and this was one of the few things that took his attention. He might as well make good use of it and give the Black Bulls some stars with the work. "Good grief... I'm glad you are here, Captain Zaven." He looked at him with a nod clearly appreciating his presence which will make things much easier to deal with. It wasn't every day one could count on the power of a Captain to help out.
With the arrival of Zaven, the group was ready to depart to the forest and officially start the expedition. It was going to take some time to get there and he was warned that they were several beasts and monsters on the way to the temple. That's why they wanted Magic Knights to help out. The main issue for the silver mage wasn't the beasts themselves, but keeping the group safe. It was a somewhat large group so he had to be careful and make sure that no one got injured. This changed things up and made it seem more like a pain in the ass for the Black Bull. This made him regret the decision, but it was too late to step back. Hell, even Captain Malcolm personally asked Zaven to come with him so he didn't want to just turn back right now. Even if Charles didn't want to do it, he didn't want Zaven's effort to help him out all the way here go to waste so he had to pull through. He might even get a reward after.
The group began to make their way to the forest, it was a matter of time for them to encounter the beasts...
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] Zaven nodded as Charles greeted him, the others that were a part of the expedition also greeted him. He was not worried about the journey, but he knew that the experience that was needed to be given to Charles would go a long way so he of course was on point. He did not mince words, he knew that the job was to protect the main crew for the duration of the trip, so that was what he was going to do. ”We best head out, the sooner that we get there the better our chances of success are right?” He asked as he waited with Charles, not moving around much. [break][break]
The first leg of the trip brought them into a forest, the lush green vegetation was something that Zaven had grown accustomed to seeing due to his own adventures yet it never ceased to amaze him. ”Charles...it is a good thing that we came along, do you have any sensory ability or ki? This place is teeming with life...nothing here is neither good nor bad...all of it belongs to nature and the natural order of things. So tell me what do you specialize in? Are you a support mage or are you more suited for combat? Or perhaps you are an all-rounder...something that is infinitely harder to get a hang of, but doable…” Zaven asked inquisitively as the team walked through the forest, the rest of the group were already on edge since they got to the place...but to Zaven, this was like taking a leisurely stroll. [break][break]
[break][break] Up ahead about twenty meters the treants that resided inside of the forest had already begun to stir at the feeling of the intruders as they made their way through their territory. The silent, slow moving guardians of this ancient forest hid another perilous secret in their branches...pythons, as big as various members of the group were, slithering about. They began to shuffle their way towards the group, still hidden amongst the canopy of trees. The next part of this journey was going to be a difficult one that much was for sure. Did the group have enough power and skill to make it out of there in one piece though? [break][break]
[break][break]
Zaven felt it first, the feel of a mana signature that, while belonging to the forest, was also separate. ”We are being watched. Everyone please be mindful, Charles prepare for imminent attack.” Zaven said in a calm tone, yet he demanded obedience as he spoke.
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Sept 12, 2020 16:50:14 GMT -5
It was finally time to get started. The young magic knight nodded to the Captain's statement, but for him the sooner they got there the sooner he could go back home and relax after completing his job, but everyone had different ways of thinking. Zaven was not an exception. Charles followed behind Zaven, as he was more experienced, even if his lazy attitude was something obvious he could learn a thing or two from a Captain's movement and stance when it comes to this kind of things. It wasn't every day one could go to a mission with a Captain.
The first area was a forest if he recalled correctly Ilhiana said that they had to cross a forest in order to get to the Temple. The Black Bull was beside the Golden Dawn Captain the entire time. Which eventually lead him to ask the young man a question. "Well... I don't really count on either of those abilities, my sensory ability is pretty bad. Also Ki? I've heard of it before, but what is it exactly?" The silver mage wondered what Ki was. The only thing he knew about Ki is that was something similar to a sensory ability, but it had its difference that was still unknown to him. "I can provide with both offensive attacks and support. I'd say... I'm more of an offensive support mage, though being in the front is usually a pain in the ass." Charles replied, he didn't believe he was one of those people who took pride, loved fighting, and were generally hyperactive as hell. Fighting in the front was better suited for those people. The Black Bull always preferred to take a more subtle approach and avoid getting all the attention.
Zaven with his higher sensory was able to feel the mana beasts meters away from the group, which was pretty impressive, something you will expect from a Captain. "Well it was about time... Alright, let's get this over with and move on." Charles replied to Zaven's statements to be prepared as his grimoire came alight, the young magic knight prepared for battle against the incoming mana beasts. "Do you have an idea on which type of mana beasts are the ones that roam around here?" He asked before they engaged into battle, perhaps having an idea on how those mana beasts looked and acted he will have a better chance in countering their upcoming attacks.
Listening to Charles it was clear that the young man had some more learning to do in the ways of how spellcasting actually works...well just how magic in general flows and allows for the user to perceive it. However what really made him give the young Black Bull a curious look was when he said he pretty much could not do all of those things and had no idea on what Ki was. ”Ki is the life force and energy of the body, usually it is a thing that most martial fighters, or close quarter experts, as well as those with no magical ability are more inclined to use. It is a little bit more primal than tracking mana...especially in things that don’t use magic as a base of their creation. The creatures here for example...I can feel them briefly with my mana, but they would be easier to pick up with Ki...do you understand? As for combat, I want to see your capability but you will support me as I stated the plan earlier. We need to ensure the safety of the entire team. I trust you to have my back, and I will watch yours, and after this I will make sure to get you in touch with someone that can teach you to use Ki or even if you wanted to learn mana sensory, then I could teach you myself.” [break][break]
Just as he had pointed out he felt the mana signatures briefly as they moved through the trees. Moving below them and into the floor of the heavily wooded area. ”I do not know exactly what they are, but I do know that they are going to be hostile...and they are setting up an ambush.” He said as he prepared for the attack, quickly noticing the treants moving through ahead of them. ”Magical guardians...treants, but there is something bigger amongst them...I can only guess it to be something akin to a spider or perhaps…” He was about to speak when four giant snakes dropped out of the trees and moved to strike at the researchers, they were using ambush tactics to pick off the weaker ones in the group. ”Fissure Blades.” Zaven called out as he wasted no time in attacking as the creatures moved to attack the researchers. The blades of shadow raced to their targets in a flash of black light before the creatures dropped before the researchers. Then there was the snapping of various branches and rustling of leaves as the very prominent hissing sound filled Zaven’s ears. He could not pinpoint the sounds exactly but it was apparent that the treants had surrounded them. ”bunch up, make a single target for them, CHARLES there are a few more snakes in the trees. I need you to help me with combat here. If you see something move...hit it with a spell.” Zaven’s orders were absolute as the team began to gather in the middle. He called upon the Fissure Blades once more as he threw them quick and watched as the Treants were struck and then they fall to the ground, a few just fell like they had been chopped down but had not fallen properly, he had taken out four of them in total, clearing the path for them. ”Charles, take the team and go forward. Get them away from this position. I will hold them here for a few moments then catch up!” He said as he watched the treants try to close the gap. There were eight remaining.
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[attr="class","zavenstat2"]COMBAT SUMMARY
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[attr="class","zavenreescroll2"]
[break][break] TL;DR
Name of Spell: Fissure Blade Elemental Type: Shadow Rank and Spell Type: Senior | Attack Creation Range and Speed: 80 meters | 45 M/S Mana Cost: 24 | 12 Stats Effected: +6 Power to Spell Applicable Perks: Quick Shot, Mana Conservationist Description: Zaven creates a solid blade of shadow mana that can be between 16 inches to 24 inches in length. This can only be used as long as Zaven is in possession of a piece of material that can be considered a hilt (examples are; a small tree branch, a metal rod, an actual tang of a blade).
The blade can take the form of any bladed weapon. The weapon can be thrown. The limit of how many blades can be made is based on control.
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Sept 19, 2020 14:07:01 GMT -5
As he walked along Captain Zaven he paid close attention to his explanation about what Ki was. Charles heard of that before, but he didn't know what it was specifically. So he was curious to hear what Zaven had to say. "So the life force energy of our surroundings... Similar to how sensory detects mana around its surroundings. Ki seemed like a useful ability he could learn at some point, considering his sensory skills were quite bad. Even learning sensory from Zaven seemed like a good option, it wasn't every day that one could have a Captain of a Magic Knight Squad as their teacher. "...Got it, I'll back you up with my spells." The silver mage replied, though, for the most part, his focus would be to protect the group while Zaven was busy dealing with the monsters. Even though he was powerful, he wasn't omnipotent, so he wouldn't be able to protect the group when he's distracted fighting some of the mana beasts nearby. "...That doesn't sound bad." That is if he wasn't lazy to even bother to learn Ki in the first place.
The young magic knight looked at them at the direction the Captain of the Golden Dawn pointed out. "Considering this place is surrounded by trees and bushes. It makes for perfect hiding spots in order to ambush mages who have poor sensory abilities." He replied, pointing out that it wasn't surprising that an ambush could happen, mana beasts were smart enough to use their environment to their advantage in order to ambush anyone with poor sensory abilities. An easy and simple way to take down their prey. The silver mage was surprised by the power of Zaven's spells, and it was likely the Captain was holding back. Charles nodded and took a team, moving up as Zaven the treants closed up the gap between them. "Silver Spike." The Black Bull called as a silver spike was directed towards one of the treants, this killed one of the treants. Even though Zaven was powerful, trying to make the situation less of a pain in the ass was better, plus it would allow them to keep moving faster as they could simply. Charles then began to catch up with the group as Zaven dealt with the rest of the treants. "Establish a safe perimeter make sure nothing gets close, we shall keep moving until Captain Zaven is back." He stated, telling the other Magic Knights to establish a safe perimeter so nothing gets close to the group. Hopefully, the Golden Dawn Captain will be back soon.
At this point, the young magic knight wished he had some sort of sensory abilities, as he would be able to tell before anyone else if they were any enemies approaching. His sensory was terrible, so he wouldn't be able to tell if they are any enemies around from afar. Seven treants remain.
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] Seeing that the Black Bull took to his order and got the others to safety was a relief to him, yet he did not stop himself from feeling that familiar twinge of danger that made his hair stand on end. He did not rush into danger without a calm and collected head, and as the treants moved up on to try and tighten their perimeter, Zaven just remained in his position following Charles and the others with his tracking for a moment until finally they just were outside of a safe distance away and Zaven calmly just took a deep breath before letting out a warm breath as the Treants all moved in unison to try and attack him. ”Shadow magic, Shadows Swift Judgement.” He said as the attack centered around Zaven and he took no prisoners as the greatsword appeared in his right hand and he just sunk it into the earth. The explosion of shadow mana was like a violent storm raging against the treants and gave them nowhere to run from the awesome might of The Shadow of Dawn, and man did they actually try. Zaven’s shadow swords ripped through the wood over and over, the snakes that were left inside of their branches fell and were eviscerated before the captain of the Golden Dawn...it was as if the shadow mage possessed no room for remorse or a regard for life when he was caught like this with his hands in his pockets now the jungle grew silent. After his shadows faded, all that was left was a few chunks of sap splattered wood, chunks of snake flesh and sawdust. ”Another creature that cannot compete with me...a shame really.” He said as he took off for the rest of the group...there were 3 snakes left, and he was able to pick them up using his sensory. [break][break]
He moved faster than the snakes could slither, they bid their time however and did not strike at the current moment but it could be felt all around Charles and his group as Zaven was trying to catch up in time to stop this ambush from happening. He hopped Charles was strong enough to take these creatures and turn their scales into a new pair of boots...a metaphor of course, but the severity of the meeting was all the same.
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Sept 23, 2020 22:48:01 GMT -5
Things seemed to go well, Charles looked back occasionally making sure that Zaven was still around. Sure if he got lost he will not have an issue in finding them again with his sensory abilities. Nonetheless, the Black Bull wanted to see if the Golden Dawn Captain require some assistance in getting rid of those annoying mana beasts. The sounds of the mana beasts getting killed and completely annihilated by Captain Zaven was enough proof that they were no match for Magic Knight Captain. Not even the entire party together will be able to stop him. Thankfully, they knew he was on their side. Charles will literally run away on sight if he ever had to fight someone on Zaven's level and magic prowess back there was proof of that, the thing is he seemed like he was holding back still.
While Zaven was catching up with the group the silver mage could something slithering on the ground. His sensory wasn't as good as Zaven's, but he was able to hear the sound of the snakes approaching the group. Which resulted in him focusing on the sound of them as they approached the group. "Electric Silver Spear." A spear made out of silver appeared on the silver's mage hand as suddenly one of the black mambas dropped in front of him in an attempt to bite him. Charles managed to react on time, holding the snake with a side of the spear. "You annoying little shit... The young magic knight threw the spear far away from the group in order to not hurt the group once the spear touched the ground. As soon as spear did it released lightning damaging the black mamba, but it wasn't enough to kill it. To top it off, due to the fact that the beast was now from a safe distance of the group. "Silver Swords of Lightning." Two silver swords appeared above the silver mage, targeting the black mamba. The swords moved towards the direction of the mana beast, once they reached the target they released lightning which will be able to be seen by the group and even Zaven from a distance. Showing off the strange property his silver magic possessed. Even though he just killed one black mamba, the Black Bull remained on guard in case more of them appeared as he waited for Zaven to catch up. His attention was focused on the branches as that's where one of the black mambas attempted to bite him the last time, having snakes falling from above was one of the last things one will expect, especially if it was someone inexperienced as Charles.
[attr="class","zavenreescroll"] Zaven caught on quickly when Charles engaged in combat that he was directly ahead, keeping him on the same path he did not waste a single second as he wanted to make sure that the expedition could still continue. Arriving just after that last mamba was killed he gave a smile and clapped for a moment as he dropped from the tree. ”You did well Charles, You do have keen senses even though you claim to be just a combat support mage. This expedition is getting tricky with each passing minute. Let’s continue this shall we?” He said as he still had that reassuring smile on his face, something that said that he would protect the group no matter what. He started to walk towards the area they were heading in before they were attacked. ”I may be trying to lead here but I promise I am just the escort so please if the lady leader of our group will step forward and give us some orders I am ready to go wherever.” He said before pulling a canteen out and taking a long drag from it and sighing. This place was not the worst place to be after all...his mind went out to the time he was stuck inside the tower...that was a much worse place to be with less of a direction than this. [EXIT]
Post by Charles Constantine✾ on Sept 27, 2020 21:07:02 GMT -5
Charles briefly turned back as the area seemed clear, spotting Captain Zaven making his way back to the group. That meant that the area was now clear from mana beasts judging by his facial expression in the form of a smile. The Black Bull raised an eyebrow as Zaven appeared to also clap, which confused him at first until he later complimented his efforts. "Oh... Thanks, Captain. I honestly just wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. Those mana beasts were becoming a pain in the ass, but this is just the start..." He replied and appreciated the compliments from the Golden Dawn Captain. Zaven then commented on how he didn't have any intentions to lead the group, which was understandable, but either way in terms of experience he was the number one in the group. Very few knew how many things the Golden Dawn Captain had to go through and how much combat he has seen throughout his years as a Magic Knight. "I think its fine, you're the most experienced person in the group, so believe it or not your knowledge and experience are invaluable. You're arguably one of the most important people in this group, not only by magical power but in other things as well. He replied as he took out his canteen and took a sip, the trip was draining, but they were close to the temple so the real expedition was about to start soon. The silver mage was starting to wonder what sort of things they will find in there.
The group carried on and continued to make their way towards the temple.
